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Big Four (White Star Line)
|module= |module2= |Ship propulsion=Steam quadruple expansion engines, powering two propellers. |Ship speed= |Ship capacity=2857 passengers }} }} The Big FourThe Great Ocean Liners: Celtic (II) were a quartet of 20,000 ton ocean liners built by Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line in the early 20th century, completed in 1906: * * (1902) * * Origin In 1899, White Star Line commissioned , which exceed the in length, although not tonnage. After Thomas Ismay’s death the order of Oceanic’s sister-ship, ''Olympic'' was cancelled. Instead, resources were transferred to the company’s new project; to build the grandest fleet of ships that had ever sailed the seas, the 'Big Four'. History In 1901, White Star Line ordered a series of four ships that were to be larger than the Great Eastern, terming these ships 'the Big Four'. The four ships were designed to have a tonnage in excess of 20,000 tons and rather than being built for speed and to compete for the Blue Riband, were designed to be more luxurious than their rivals.[http://www.titanic-whitestarships.com/Oceanic_2_1899.htm White Star Line Oceanic II 1899-1914], White Star Ships. Retrieved July 27, 2009 The first of the four vessels was named , and was ordered by Thomas Ismay before his death. The Celtic was launched on 4 April 1901 and made her maiden voyage on 26 July. She was shorter than the Oceanic but was still longer than the Great Eastern. After Celtic was completed, she was the biggest ship in the world at 21,035 gross tons. The project was followed by the , which was launched on 21 August 1902 and made her maiden voyage on 11 February 1903. At the time she was launched she was the biggest moving object ever built at 21,073 gross tons. The project was followed by the , which was launched on November 21, 1903 and made her maiden voyage on June 29, 1904. She was the largest ship in the world at 23,876 gross tons until 1905, when the HAPAG's 24,581 gross ton surpassed her in tonnage.The Great Ocean Liners:Baltic The popularity of White Star's Big Four was eventually overtaken by Cunard's and , both of which were larger than the , at 24,541 gross tons the largest and also the fastest of the Big Four, but which was superseded in size before her launch by the Lusitania. Lastly the Red Star Line's , at a more economical 17,000 tons, was a virtual sister ship to the Big Four in her layout and dimensions. Lapland was also built by the Harland & Wolff. Features The Big Four, with the tonnage of 21,035 - 24,541, the Baltic and the Adriatic were much larger than the first two. However, the Adriatic, which was the largest of the four, was also the only one not to have held the title of largest passenger ship in world.[http://white-star.50webs.com/adriatic2.html Adriatic 2], The White Star Line. Retrieved July 27, 2009 The four ships were propelled by two propellers driven by steam quadruple expansion and reached an average speed of , although their maximum speeds varied. The silhouettes of the four vessels were similar, black hull with red keel and white superstructure. They were provided with four masts (two front and two rear) which supported the cables of wireless telegraphy. The two chimneys were tan brown topped with a black sleeve. The vessels had luxury on an unprecedented scale, with a dining room dominated by a glass roof, a lounge with a reading and writing room with many books and periodicals, also adorned with large picture windows, a covered promenade deck, a smoking room decorated stained glass[http://www.gjenvick.com/WhiteStarLine/1909-04-16-Brochure-TheFamousBig4-NewYork-Liverpool.html The Famous Big 4 of the New York - Liverpool Service - White Star Line - 1909 Brochure], Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archive. Retrieved July 27, 2009 and in the case of the Adriatic, an indoor pool and Turkish baths. [http://pagesperso-orange.fr/titanic/page76 Les Bains Turcs et la Piscine], le Site du Titanic. Retrieved July 27, 2009 Careers ''Celtic'' Celtic was the first of the Big Four, which entered service in 1901. This was the first ship to exceed the Great Eastern in tonnage. Her career was marked by several accidents. Transformed into an auxiliary cruiser during the First World War, she struck a mine in 1917, killing 17 people. In 1918, she was torpedoed by a German submarine, but was once again afloat. In 1925, she struck another vessel, but neither ship suffered consequences. The incident was repeated with another vessel in 1927. Finally, in 1928, she struck rocks off Cobh and was considered unrecoverable. It took five years for the ship to be completely dismantled.[http://www.whitestarhistory.com/celtic White Star Line History Website: RMS Celtic][http://www.greatships.net/celtic2.html R.M.S. Celtic (II)], Great Ships. Retrieved July 28, 2009 ''Cedric'' The Cedric was put into service in 1903. Her commercial career was divided into transatlantic crossings and cruises. After the sinking of the Titanic, the Cedric was called to New York to bring some of the survivors back to England. During the war, the Cedric was transformed into an auxiliary cruiser. On 29 January 1918 the Cedric collided with, and sank the Canadian Pacific ship Montreal off Morecambe Bay. The Montreal was taken in tow but sank the next day from the Mersey Bar lightvessel. On 30 September 1923 the Cedric collided with of the Cunard Line in Queenstown (Cobh) harbour during dense fog. Neither vessel was seriously damaged. She was decommissioned in 1931 and was scrapped the following year.The Great Ocean Liners: Cedric ''Baltic'' Commissioned in 1904, the Baltic played repeatedly a rescue part at sea. In 1909, she received the SOS from the , after a collision with SS Florida of Lloyd Italiano. In 1912, the night of the sinking of the Titanic, the Baltic received the distress call from the ship, but failed to join. She was also involved in a rescue on 6 December 1929, when she assisted the sinking schooner Northern Light. On 17 February 1933, she sailed for Osaka, Japan where she was scrapped.The Great Ocean Liners: Baltic Baltic was commonly accompanied by White Star tender SS Magnetic, which serviced her throughout most of her career. The two ships appear together on many White Star Line postcards. ''Adriatic'' The Adriatic, which entered service in 1907, was the largest and most luxurious of the Big Four. Her career was marked by the events known by her sister ships, and she enjoyed a successful commercial career, even having the honor of opening the Southampton - New York route for the White Star Line. Her career was interrupted by the First World War, during which the ship made several voyages as a troop transport.[http://www.ayrshirescotland.com/ships/ships/011adriatic.html RMS. ADRIATIC II], Ayrshire Scotland. Retrieved July 27, 2010 The Adriatic was devoted full-time to cruising from 1933, and was retired the following year. She was scrapped in Japan in 1935. References Category:Ships of the White Star Line Category:Ship classes